Nearly 47,000 vehicles were stolen in Canada in 2025 even as national auto theft rates fell, according to Équité Association.
The Toronto-based insurance crime and fraud organization says vehicle theft has declined 33% nationally since 2023, but its latest Canadian Auto Theft Impact Survey suggests public concern remains high.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 64%, say they are worried about becoming a victim of auto theft.
“The reality of modern auto theft is that locking your car door is no longer enough,” says Bryan Gast, national vice-president of intelligence and investigations at Équité Association.
The survey also finds only 18% of respondents believe vehicles sold today are adequately protected against modern technology-based theft methods.
Another 72% say stronger security protections should be built into vehicles rather than sold to owners as aftermarket additions.
Gast says thieves have increasingly moved toward methods that target vehicle electronics, including key-fob relay attacks and electronic reprogramming.
“Organized crime has traded crowbars for technology-based theft such as key fob relay attacks and reprogramming to easily bypass a vehicle’s security system,” he says.
Équité says 55% of respondents point to changing organized-crime tactics as a reason for continued concern.
The findings come as Transport Canada considers amendments to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations dealing with vehicle theft.
Équité says it has recommended mandatory cybersecurity testing based on UN Regulation No. 155 and the ISO/SAE 21434 automotive cybersecurity standard.
The organization argues that stronger factory-installed security could make vehicles more difficult to steal before theft claims occur.
“Canadians are telling us clearly that they feel security protections should be built into their vehicles, not sold to them as an after-market add-on,” Gast says.
Two-thirds of respondents, or 66%, say reducing auto theft requires a coordinated response from governments, automakers, police and vehicle owners. That is up from 61% in Équité’s 2023 survey.
More than one-third of respondents also say they have been personally affected by auto theft.
The survey was conducted online among 2,503 Canadian adults through the Angus Reid Forum from June 1 to June 8. Results were weighted by age, gender, region and education to reflect census data.
